SECTION 201 - CLEARING AND GRUBBING
201-1 Description.
201-1.01 General. This work shall consist of clearing, grubbing, removing and disposing of all trees,
brush, stumps, fences, debris, and miscellaneous structures not covered under other contract items within the construction area and such other areas as specified or directed. The Contractor shall clear such additional areas within the limits of the right-of-way and easement lines as specified or directed.
201-1.02 No Burning Requirement. Materials generated by the work, including construction and
demolition debris, shall not be disposed of by burning on or off the site. Off site burning in a permitted solid waste incinerator or in another lawful manner as refuse derived fuel will be permitted.
201-2 MATERIALS (Not specified)
201-3 Construction Details.
201-3.01 Limits of Work Areas. The Engineer will establish the limits of areas to be cleared and
grubbed, to be cleared but not grubbed, or areas, objects or features that are designated to remain undisturbed. In general, the work areas shall include the road section, stream channels, ditches, temporary approaches to bridges, detours and other areas as shown in the contract documents or directed by the Engineer. The Engineer will designate fences, structures, debris, trees and brush to be cleared where grubbing is not required. Clearing beyond the areas of construction shall be done only where specified or directed.
201-3.02 Clearing and Grubbing. During the life of the contract the Engineer may order the clearing of
any trees within the R.O.W. that the Engineer determines to be hazardous or dead and unsightly. The Contractor shall carefully prune all branches of trees less than 16 feet above any part of the roadway and all branches which have been broken or injured during construction. The work shall be done as specified under §614-3.01A Equipment and B. Pruning. Whenever trees are felled or trimmed on/or adjacent to highways, all wood shall be immediately removed from the roadway or any area that would present a hazard to traffic. Grubbed stumps shall be moved immediately at least 30 feet from the edge of pavement. No trees, tree trunks, stumps or other debris shall be felled, sidecast or placed outside the limits of the road section. No grubbing will be required beneath the embankment where the finished grade will be 6 feet or more above the original ground surface unless otherwise specified in the contract documents. Where trees or existing stumps are cleared and grubbing is not required, the tree trunk or existing stump shall be cut off not more than 6
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NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Sections 200 - 599 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS (USC) January 1, 2026 Volume 2 inches above the original ground surface unless otherwise approved. Exposed stumps not required to be removed, but which are within 30 feet of the edge of the pavement or are in a built-up area, shall be chipped out to a depth of not less than 6 inches below the finished grade and the holes backfilled if directed by the Engineer. This work shall be completed within one week after start of work on the tree.
201-3.03 Disposal.
A.General. All wood including grubbed stumps shall be removed from the contract site or otherwise disposed of.
B.Methods of Disposal of Wood and Brush.
1.Disposal (No Burning). All wood and brush shall be disposed of within fifteen (15) days after cutting or felling unless otherwise approved. No burning of land clearing materials that result from the clearing and grubbing operations, except in a permitted solid waste incinerator or as refuse derived fuel, will be permitted. The Contractor will have the following options or combination of options for disposal of this material:
a.The Contractor shall make every effort to salvage marketable timber as specified in paragraph B4 of this subsection.
b.When permitted by a note in the contract documents, disposable material may be placed at locations approved by the Engineer within the right-of-way but outside of the embankment area. When permitted by a note in the contract documents, disposable material may be placed in the embankment side slope area. The contract documents will define the embankment side slope area and the procedures for the concurrent construction of the embankment and disposal section. This type of disposal will require certain preparatory work. Preparation for direct burial of woody materials shall consist of cutting main trunks and limbs and chipping smaller limbs, branches, foliage and brush. Under conditions when disposal space and earth cover are limited in size and quantity, stumps will have to be ranked in size and placed in layers so as to make best use of the space available and the quantity of materials to be buried.
c.The Contractor may bury disposable material off the right-of-way at locations obtained by the Contractor at no expense to the State. Such locations are to be approved in writing by the Engineer. The disposal work will require the same preparatory work as stated in option b. above except that the Engineer may waive such requirements for miscellaneous work which may be accommodated in a satisfactory manner by other methods. The disposal area is to be covered with earth as hereinafter specified.
d.The Contractor may reduce all woody materials to chips and dispose of the chips as specified in paragraph B2 of this subsection.
e.The material may be sent to a refuse derived fuel processing facility or to other processing facility for eventual beneficial re-use as fuel or for other lawful re-use. Under no circumstances is disposal to be made in swamp or wet lands. When the disposal area is within the embankment section or is formed by flattening the embankment slopes, the elevation of the normal embankment construction shall always equal or exceed that of the disposal area. There is to be absolutely no end dumping of disposable material over the sides of
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NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Sections 200 - 599 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS (USC) January 1, 2026 Volume 2 the embankment. All disposal areas are to be finally covered with a minimum of 2 feet of earth and graded to drain properly.
2.Chipping. Wood may be reduced to chips by the use of an approved chipping machine or stump grinder. Chips shall be 1/2 inch maximum thickness or of other approved thicknesses. Chips resulting therefrom may be disposed of by being stockpiled and used as mulch for planting, by distribution on the ground surface in wooded areas within the right-of-way as approved by the Engineer, or by disposal at a location off the contract site satisfactory to the Engineer.
3.Burying. No tree trunks, stumps or other debris shall be buried inside the right-of-way limits without the written approval of the Engineer. Disposal areas outside the right-of-way limits shall be approved in writing by the Engineer and shall be acquired by the Contractor at no expense to the State.
4.Salvage of Marketable Timber. In the interest of conservation, the Contractor shall make every effort possible to salvage marketable timber produced as a result of clearing operations, provided the amount of timber is great enough to make the hauling practical. In general, marketable timber is construed to mean logs 8 to 16 feet in length, plus appropriate trimming allowance, having a diameter inside the bark, at the small end, of approximately 10 inches. In the event that the Contractor is not successful in salvaging marketable timber, the Contractor shall advise the Engineer, in writing, of the efforts to salvage and indicate the reason why the timber could not be salvaged. Any wood that is cut up in firewood lengths or other marketable lengths may be neatly piled adjacent to the right-of-way in an area provided by the Contractor for periods in excess of one week but shall be removed prior to completion of the contract.
201-4 Method of Measurement.
201-4.01 Per Acre. Payment for Clearing and Grubbing will be made at the unit price bid per acre
computed to the nearest one tenth acre.
201-4.02 Per Lump Sum. Payment for Clearing and Grubbing will be made on a lump sum basis for
work satisfactorily completed. Monthly payments will be made in proportion to the amount of work done as determined by the Engineer.
201-4.03 Borrow Areas. Borrow pits or other pit areas from which material is secured shall not be
included for measurement of clearing and grubbing.
201-5 Basis of Payment.
201-5.01 Clearing and Grubbing. Payment will be made at the contract price to furnish all materials,
labor and equipment necessary to satisfactorily complete the work as specified. No separate payment will be made for any excavation, backfill or earth cover necessary to complete the work of disposal outside the embankment area nor for the work in handling, storing, rehandling and hauling of disposable material within or outside the right-of-way. Payment will be made under: Item No. Item PayUnit 201.06 Clearing and Grubbing Lump Sum 201.07 Clearing and Grubbing Acre
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NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Sections 200 - 599 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS (USC) January 1, 2026 Volume 2
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Source: Standard Specifications (US Customary Units), 2026 (Jan) Edition. Pages 210–213 of 1,489. View official source ↗